Happy Thanksgiving
I would like to take this time to wish you and your family a happy thanksgiving. I hope this entire holiday season brings you joy and good times spent with loved ones.
I hope you all have many blessings to be thankful for, and I want you to know that I am incredibly thankful for the honor of representing you in the Illinois Senate.
--State Senator Paul Schimpf
Senator Schimpf was proud to welcome members of the Waterloo Lions Club to the Illinois Governor's Mansion on November 20th for the Governor's Hometown Awards. The Lions members were honored for their work in offering warm, free, and complete Thanksgiving meals through their "Share the Feast Program."
Final Week of Veto Session begins Nov. 27, dates for incoming General Assembly, Governor set
Lawmakers return to Springfield Nov. 27 for the final week of the Fall Veto Session to take further action on a number of pieces of legislation that were either vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner or amendatorily vetoed by him.
Meanwhile, the new General Assembly will be sworn into office Jan. 9 and Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker will be sworn into office Jan. 14.
Thanksgiving travel predicted to be busier this year
Hitting the road, the railway, or the airport this Thanksgiving week? Expect more vehicles and longer lines, according to AAA.
AAA projects that 54.3 million Americans will be traveling at least 50 miles or more to see family and chow down on turkey, an increase of 4.8 percent from 2017, making it the busiest Thanksgiving travel week since 2005.
It’s recommended you get to airports and train and bus stations extra early to allow for longer security lines and potential delays.
Holiday spending to increase this year – where do you fall in how much you’ll spend?
The 2018 Holiday Shopping Survey recently released by Wallet Hub shows 35 percent of Americans plan on spending more than $500 this holiday season, compared to 33 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, 15 percent say they will spend more than $1,001 and 19 percent say they will spend less than $100.
The survey also showed more people are better off financially this year compared to last year, with six in 10 people reporting that now versus five in 10 in 2017.
Electronics leads the list of most desired holiday gifts at 31 percent followed closely behind by gift cards at 30 percent.
While big box stores tend to get the most attention on Black Friday on Nov. 23, the busiest shopping day of the year, small businesses are reminding shoppers about Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24. This national campaign is intended to encourage shoppers to check out their local small businesses and support all they do for their local communities.
Many of our communities will host events aimed at boosting local holiday shopping, such as the annual Waterloo Christmas Walk, which you can learn more about here. If your community is hosting a similar event, please email details to senschimpf58@gmail.com and we will promote it here and on social media.